This invention relates to a seating furniture having a frame, a seat and a backrest which is mounted on the frame approximately at elbow level of a person sitting on the seating furniture. The backrest includes an upper part extending above the mounting of the backrest on the frame as well as a lower part extending below the mounting. The two backrest parts are inclined to each other such that they converge at an obtuse angle in a rearward direction, that is, away from the person seated.
A known seating furniture of the above type is described in German Offenlegungsschrift (published, unexamined application) 38 26 290. In this device the backrest is pivotally mounted at a horizontal frame post. While the inclination of both backrest parts toward each other results in considerably improved sitting comfort as compared with other known seating furniture, it has been found that the pivotal mounting of the backrest at the frame post is not always comfortable. Thus, the backrest does not offer sufficient resistance to the person seated, as the backrest pivots freely around the horizontal axis of the frame post.
In another known seating furniture, disclosed in French Patent 1 301 578, the seat is horizontally slidable. By means of a spring attached to the rear edge of the seat and the frame, the seat is drawn into its rear starting position in which the seat is unoccupied. To the rear edge of the seat a single-piece or a two-part backrest is articulated. Dependent on the position of the seat, the backrest is substantially stretched or also rearwardly arched. The position of the backrest arched to the rear, however, is particularly uncomfortable to a user.